Keyholding accessory for a ladies&#39; handbag



Dec. 27, 1966 c. c. CAIN ETAL 3,294,136

KEYHOLDING ACCESSORY FOR A LADIES HANDBAG Filed Dec. 15, 1965 19 nm l1,

FIG. 3

INVENTORS.

CARL C. CAIN BETTY SUTTON MM M ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,294,136 KEYHOLDING ACCESSORY FOR A LADIES HANDBAG Carl C. Cain, RD. 1, Box 285, and Betty Sutton, RD. 1, Central Ave., both of Linwood, NJ. 08221 Filed Dec. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 513,971 1 Claim. (Cl. 150--34) This invention relates generally to a keyholding accessory for a ladies handbag or the like.

As is well known, various types of keyholders are employed by ladies, usually being received loosely in the ladies handbag. This often presents difiiculties in retrieving the keyholder from the handbag, both in locating the keyholder in the handbag and in separating the keyholder from the other contents of the handbag. Further, conventional keyholders do not usually afford convenient selection of a desired key, without clear observation of the various keys, which presents still further difiiculties, especially under conditions of inadequate illumination.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a unique and highly advantageous keyholding accessory for use in a ladies handbag, which overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties, being always conveniently located in an elevated, or other desired pre determined location within the handbag, and which presents the users keys in a known order or arrangement for ease and convenience in accurate selection of a desired key.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a keyholding accessory of the type described which is extremely simple in construction, durable and reliable throughout a long useful life, and which can be economically manufactured for mass production and sale at a reasonable price.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view showing a keyholding accessory of the present invention in combination with a ladies handbag, illustrating an operative condition of use;

FIGURE 2 is a front perspective view showing the keyholding accessory of FIGURE 1 apart from the ladies handbag, with fasterner means of the accessory in an open condition;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view showing the keyholding accessory apart from the handbag, with the fastener in closed condition and illustrating a key in position on the keyholder;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view taken from the right-hand side of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view showing the combined keyholder and handbag in operative condition, with a key about to be removed for use.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURE 1 thereof, a handbag is there generally designated 10, having one side wall 11, the interior of which is exposed upon opening of the handbag, the illustrated condition in FIGURES 1 and 5. The side wall 11 is bounded on its upper edge by a frame 12, or other suitable means, and the keyholding accessory is gen erally designated 13 and illustrated in position fixed to the internal side of handbag wall 11 adjacent to and spaced below the upper wall edge 12.

The keyholder 13 is best seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 as including an elongate finger-press member or plate 15, which may be generally flat or of other suitable contour, as desired. In practice, the finger-press member or plate 15 may be of an elongate configuration, as illustrated, for carrying a plurality of keyhooks 16, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

On one side or face of the finger-press member 15, the rear face thereo'f, there is secured, as by welding or other suitable means, a fastener 17. The fastener 17 may be of the safety-pin type, or other suitable construction, being shown in the illustrated embodiment as including a generally U-shaped wire or rod having a fixed leg 18, a movable leg 19, and a bight portion 20 connecting together the legs 18 and 19. The legs 18 and 19 may extend generally longitudinally of the finger-press plate 15, a loop or ferrule 21 extending about the bight portion 20 and being fixed to therear side of the plate 15, as by welding, or other suitable securing means. The leg 18 extends from the bight portion 20 longitudinally along and spaced above the lower edge of the plate 15, having its free end anchored to a clip 22, which is also fixed, by any suitable means, to the rear side of the plate. The leg 17, advantageously pointed for engagement through the handbag wall 11, is releasably retained by the clip 22, being illustrated in its closed or retained condition in FIGURES 3 and 4, and in its open condition in FIG- URE 2.

Secured to the leg 18, extending longitudinally along the underside thereof, may be a wire or rod 25. At longitudinally spaced locations along the rod 25, there depend therefrom the several key-receiving hooks 16. More specifically, each hook 16 includes a shank 26 depending from the rod 25 beyond the lower edge of the finger-press plate 15. From the lower end of each shank 26 extends a bight portion 27 generally forwardly beyond the forward face of the finger-press plate, and a free end portion 28 extends generally upwardly from the bight portion 27 terminating in a terminal portion 29 extending forwardly away from the front of plate 15. Thus, the several hooks 16 depend in side-by-side spaced relation from the finger-press plate 15, being rigidly connected thereto, for removably receiving respective keys,.as at 30, upon resilient deflection of the respective hook and engagement of the key downward over the terminal portion 29 and free leg 28. Obviously, several keys may thus be arranged in a predetermined order.

In combination with the handbag 10, the finger-press plate 15 is arranged with its rear side in facing relation with the inner side of handbag wall 11, extending gen erally longitudinally along and spaced below the upper edge or frame 12 of the handbag wall, see FIGURES 1 and 5. In this condition, the fastener 17 may be detachably secured to the handbag wall 11, in the manner of a conventional safety pin, to retain the keyholder 13 in position on the handbag wall. Upon opening of the handbag, the keyholder and its retained keys are thus in an elevated, known position for quick and easy access thereto.

When it is desired to remove or replace a key 30 relative to its respective hook 16, the users hand, see FIG- URE 5, may advantageously be arranged over the upper handbag wall edge 12, with a thumb 31 or other finger in bearing engagement with the plate 15 to hold the latter firmly against the handbag wall 11. This serves to steady the plate 15 as well as the several hooks 16, which are relatively rigidly secured to the plate. It is then an easy matter for the user to grasp a selected key 30, with the other hand, for removal of the key from its retaining hook and replacement thereon, as desired.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a keyholding accessory for a ladies handbag which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is Well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use. I

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a ladies handbag having an internal Wall adapted to be exposed upon opening of the handbag, an elongate finger-press plate in facing relation with said internal wall, a fastener pin secured longitudinally along the facing side of said plate and detachably securing said finger-press member to said wall in said facing relation,

and a plurality of key-receiving hooks each including a shank rigidly fixed to the facing side of said finger-press plate projecting transversely from and beyond said plate, a bight portion at the distal end of each shank, and a freeend portion extending from each bight portion along the adjacent shank toward and terminating in a terminal portion short of said plate and projecting away from said Wall, said finger-press member being manually engageable to steady said hooks for removal and replacement of keys with respect to said hooks.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,396,513 11/1921 Holcomb. 2,416,477 2/ 1947 Gamache 15 040 2,455,968 12/1948 Baker 24-3.1

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

